IceClan's Journey
by Kaloleina
Summary: A lone clan in the polar regions are threatened by a worldwide problem and are forced to leave their home. First Fanfic. Please review!
1. IceClan Allegiances

IceClan Allegiances:

Leader: Ripplestar: Fluffy white she-cat with very pale gray stripes.

Deputy: Frostpelt: Long-furred white tom with black-tipped ears. Apprentice, Blizzardpaw

Medicine Cat: Willowmoon: Light gray she-cat with white dapples and white paws. Apprentice, Ravenheart

Warriors:

Lynxfoot: Thick-furred white she-cat with a feathery tail and big paws. Apprentice, Sealpaw

Hailclaw: Fluffy white tom with long, sharp claws. Apprentice, Ternpaw

Creekfur: Black she-cat with blue eyes.

Risingwind: Fluffy white tom with stormy gray eyes. Apprentice, Clearpaw

Bearpelt: Thick-furred white tom with large paws.

Maplefrost: White she-cat with ginger dapples. Mute.

Apprentices:

Blizzardpaw: Large white swift tom.

Ravenheart: Black she-cat with white paws.

Sealpaw: Small white she-cat with amber eyes and a strong friendship with the polar bears.

Ternpaw: Pretty white she-cat with thin black stripes.

Clearpaw: Pure white tom with stunningly blue eyes.

Queens:

Icefur: White she-cat with blue-gray eyes. Mother of Harekit, Whitekit, and Riverkit.

Tinypelt: Small white she-cat with a thin coat. Mother of Meltkit and Snowkit.

Elders:

Harefoot: White tom with a feathery tail and huge paws.


	2. Coyote's Plot

Sealpaw scraped at the ice, her muscles aching but her mind determined. A sweet scent drifted through her nostrils. She paused, closed her eyes, and sniffed.

" Keep going, Sealpaw," Lynxfoot urged. " If you're ever to get your warrior name, you'll finish this den." Sealpaw's eyes whipped open and she returned to her continuous scraping. She heard a yawn from Lynxfoot and the snow rustled as she settled down to sleep. Sealpaw looked around, and then darted to Willowmoon's den. "Ravenheart," she whispered. " Ravenheart, my claws hurt." A black she-cat gently padded out of the den.

" You're almost there," Ravenheart mewed softly. " Just give them a good lick and put some snow on." Sealpaw obeyed, but her head immediately bounced back up " I can smell it!" she said in an excited whisper. " The Twolegs are drawing out the sap!"

Ravenheart purred. " I'm sure everyone else will realize it when the season of sun is nearly here." Sealpaw purred. She was very satisfied with her unusually sensitive nose.

A yowl rang across the camp. "Sealpaw!" Sealpaw froze. "Sorry Ravenheart, I have to go. I'm coming, Lynxfoot!" she added, trotting hastily out of the medicine den.

Little stripes of blood from overworked claws melted into the walls of jagged ice.

A lithe white she-cat cushioned the ground with fluffy, newly fallen snow. Exhausted though she was, her belly made noises that echoed in the cave. She staggered through the snow with her nose the length of a hare's tail from the frost. She stopped and scooped out pawfuls of fluffy snow. The mouthwatering scent of dead hare drifted through the pit. She jerked it out and rushed off to eat in her den. She halted, and changed course. A black cat greeted her at the entrance to a stone cave, and they lay and nibbled together on the hare. Brindletooth's lips drew back in a snarl. The _coyotes_ caught and buried the hare. The _coyotes_ were starved, not these fat little kitties. She turned to her Clan. "Prepare for a battle," she barked " The cats are starving us!" The pack of skinny coyotes howled in agreement. Furyclaw gave a low growl. "The cats die. We claw them." Brindletooth gave a shiver of unease. " We hope this battle does not destroy life. The cats can be friends when they share prey." She desperately hoped that Furyclaw would listen to her, as he should. She was angry, but as a general rule she did not kill anything but prey.


	3. Attack

Sealpaw's eyes fluttered open. Her jaws gaped in a waking yawn. She rose to her paws and shook off the fluffy snow from her pelt. Her ears pricked in alarm. She shut her eyes and stuck her nose in the air. She coughed and spat as if she had put the stench in her mouth. He collected herself and dashed of towards Ripplestar's den. She attempted to scrabble up the icy cliff that protected Ripplestar from invading creatures. She clenched up at the thought that that security would be needed soon, and slipped once more. She pulled herself together and unsheathed her claws. She dug them in and climbed step by step until she found herself on flat ice. Without sparing a moment, she propelled herself towards the cavern's entrance. Ripplestar's stomach rose up and down, the ribs protruding. Sealpaw almost didn't want to wake her up, but the smell was getting stronger every second she delayed. She launched forwards and battered Ripplestar with her paws around the ears. Ripplestar leapt up and aimed a scratch at Sealpaw's face, hissing furiously. " What could you be doing, Sealpaw? By StarClan, this had better be good." Sealpaw gulped; Ripplestar might not believe her, and she didn't like to think what she would do to her then. She reassured herself that the whole Clan trusted her sense of smell. She took a deep breath and spoke: " When I woke up this morning, I scented coyotes; they're heading towards us, and fast." Ripplestar said nothing, just raised her head and closed her eyes. Her eyes opened and she faced Sealpaw with calm blue eyes. "I can smell them." Sealpaw was surprised at her lack of emotion. "The coyotes have come here before. They have been our friends. I can see no reason that that would change." Ripplestar's voice was as cold as the chilly breeze. "No, but- they- they smelled of anger!" Ripplestar just shook her head and settled down to get back to her sleep. "Ripplestar, _please!_" The smell of coyotes and anger muddled her brain. She could tell that Ripplestar was not going to be persuaded. She dashed off the cliff and landed predictably on her feet. She scrambled over to the warriors den and yowled for Frostpelt. The tom crept out of the warrior's den, black tipped ears flicking irritably, but he was paying attention to his daughter. "Frostpelt," she whispered urgently. " Coyotes are coming to attack the camp. We need patrols organized to defend the camp. And.. there should something in front of Ripplestar's den. She isn't prepared."

"Why not?"

" She thinks the coyotes still want to be friends. She didn't believe me when I told her that they smelled angry."

"Alright. I'll get them organized as soon as possible."

" Thank you, Frostpelt. This could save-"

Sealpaw gasped. " Frostpelt, it's too late. They're here." Sealpaw was surprised at how calm her voice sounded. The large dark shapes of coyotes stuck out oddly against the bright white of the snow.

"Frostpelt, wake the Clan, they're attacking!" Sealpaw hissed.


	4. The Battle

**Sorry I took so long. I wasn't busy, I was just... lazy.**

**Disclaimer (because I didn't do it before): I don't own Warriors.**

A musky brown shape flashed in the corner of Sealpaw's eyes. She heard a yowl of pain from behind her. She turned and leapt on the hare-brown pelt. Struggling to stay out of the coyote's reach, she noticed a dark shape heading towards the nursery. She could smell that it was not Ravenheart. She heard a squeal and whipped around. Whitekit had ventured out to see what was going on, making him easy prey for the coyote. The coyote Sealpaw had been fighting took advantage of her moment of horrified distraction and clawed her back. Sealpaw instantly spun, hissing furiously, slashed the coyote's face, and sprinted to Whitekit's aid. The coyote carrying Whitekit saw Sealpaw run towards him and squealed in fright. He dropped Whitekit and rolled onto his back. Sealpaw lifted Whitekit from the ground. "Coward!" she spat and the coyote got up and fled. Sealpaw lashed her tail as the coyote disappeared behind the hills of ice.

"Watch ou-"

Whitekit's warning was too late. The coyote leader, Brindletooth, had bowled Sealpaw over. Caught off guard by the surprise attack, Sealpaw could not defend herself against the ripping slash that Brindletooth made in her haunch. "Run, Whitekit!" she gasped, and Whitekit wriggled out of Brindletooth's grasp.

_She is going to kill me,_ Sealpaw thought, _I can't hurt something this big! _Then she remembered what Icefur had taught Sealpaw and her brother as kits._'To defeat a coyote,' _her mother had said_ 'You must abide by the code of dogs. You do not kill without a reason, you don't fight your elders, and when you are on your back, you have lost.' _So there was a way to defeat this monster! She aimed her claws at the coyote's legs. A satisfactory purr escaped when Brindletooth yelped as she put her paw down. Sealpaw weakened the other three legs and forced Brindletooth, on her unsteady legs, to roll on to her back. Brindletooth's scrabbling and growling ceased as she submitted to Sealpaw's victory. Sealpaw released the coyote and Brindletooth slowly rose to her paws, wincing at the pain from the injuries, and beckoned for her pack to leave. Sealpaw's hard amber glare followed Brindletooth as she limped away. Suddenly Brindletooth stiffened. She turned and barked frantically. Sealpaw was perplexed at the sudden worry.

"No!"

Sealpaw heard Ravenheart's terrified mew. There was a thud from behind. Sealpaw looked and saw a large chunk of ice that had once rested on the Icepile. Beside it, a dark coyote with claws outstretched lay dead on the snow. Ravenheart looked horrified. "I didn't mean to, just… He was attacking you, he would have killed you, I had to do something!"

Sealpaw lashed her tail. "I know that, I don't blame you, but now Brindletooth is looking for revenge! See, here she comes now!"

The pale brown leader had sprinted over to the fallen coyote despite her injured legs. She lowered her head and nudged the dead pack member. Her tail drooped, and she howled in misery. With her dark brown eyes blazing, she yelped at the two apprentices angrily. "Furyclaw fall at your paws. Pack seek revenge. You won now, but we be back for vengeance." Brindletooth dragged the limp body of Furyclaw towards her waiting pack, and they all turned tail and walked away from the IceClan camp. The battle had ended, but now they were in even worse trouble.


	5. Warrior Ceremony

Sealpaw's fur bristled as the pack trudged away. Frostpelt's tail lashed and he looked thoroughly distraught. Ripplestar, however, trotted towards the two apprentices with her eyes gleaming and tail straight up in the air. She was either not aware of the threat or unconcerned about it.

"Willowmoon could do with some help." she said, nodding towards Ravenheart. Ravenheart mewed in acknowledgement and skittered off towards the medicine den. "You fought valiantly today. We will hold your ceremony today at the North Star's high point." Ripplestar said. Despite the new danger IceClan faced, Sealpaw couldn't help but purr.

The North Star shone on Ripplestar's white and silver pelt as she yowled for the Clan to gather beneath the Icepile for a meeting. Sealpaw heard and sprang over to the Icepile with the freshly killed hare still in her jaws, tripping along the way to be cushioned by the new fallen snow. Ravenheart padded after her, carrying Whitekit with her. The rest of the Clan came after what seemed like too long to wait in Sealpaw's mind. Finally they were all there, and Ripplestar began to speak.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the warrior code." Sealpaw shivered, wondering why the ceremony had to take so long before she got her warrior name.

"Sealpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sealpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Sealfin. IceClan commends your bravery and persistence." Sealfin licked Ripplestar's chest, and Ripplestar rested her muzzle on Sealfin's shoulder as the excited chant of 'Sealfin! Sealfin!' grew louder. Through all this happiness and cheer, Sealfin couldn't stop seeing the patch of blood that was nearly covered in snow where Furyclaw had died.


	6. The Glacier

Ravenheart nervously crushed the ice she had retrieved to put in the medicine den. She felt a tail touch her ear and she jumped. "Oh, it's you. Sorry, Willowmoon. I've been jumpy lately." The pale gray she-cat nodded. "Ravenheart, Hailclaw is badly injured, and I need to stay here to help him. You must share tongues with StarClan alone tonight, as I fear his wounds will get worse." Ravenheart just stared at Willowmoon. "Alone? With the threat from the coyotes? Which was mainly directed at me, the one who felled Furyclaw?" Ravenheart's voice was panicky and she crushed the ice nervously. Willowmoon licked her chest and said "I would not send you out alone, you will have an escort." Ravenheart stopped kneading the ice and asked who. The answer came promptly.

"Sealfin is willing to go with you. Do you think she will be enough?"

"Absolutely!" Ravenheart purred, relieved.

"Then you will depart as soon as she rests up, the poor thing is dead tired from her vigil. I should get back to Hailclaw, I can hear him moaning." Ravenheart nodded and nudged over the crushed ice.

"Take this, it could help."

"Thank you, Ravenheart." Ravenheart dipped her head and started on some new ice as Willowmoon hauled the slush back towards Hailclaw.

The sun beat down on the two cat's pelts. Being the warm season of Sun, the small stream was bigger than it was for the whole year. Actually, it looked wider than Sealfin had ever seen it. Ravenheart led the way across the narrow ice bridge that went over the stream. As Sealfin stepped off the bridge, there was a horrible _crack_. She jumped, startled, and scurried away from the water as the thin bridge collapsed into the rushing water. "How will we get back?" Ravenheart cried miserably.

"That can't be the only way across?" Sealfin mewed desperately, peering down the stream to see if she could find any more bridges.

"You're right, that can't be the only one." Ravenheart forced herself to stay calm. She turned and beckoned with her tail for Sealfin to follow.

They approached a large cavern of sheer white ice and Sealfin stopped in awe. "Is that it? Is that the Glacier?" Ravenheart purred in amusement. "No, that's the cave for the Glacier. The Glacier itself is silvery and smooth, much more impressive."

Sealfin looked like an excited kit, staring at everything, asking a lot of questions, and bouncing around so much that Ravenheart thought the cave would collapse from Sealfin's pounding. The Glacier rested in the back of the cave, looking as wonderful as Ravenheart had described it. Ravenheart led Sealfin up the passage to the top. "It's closest to StarClan," Ravenheart had explained. "Which is why the medicine cats made the passage." Sealfin nodded and kept on climbing. The top was flat but for a sharp chunk of ice near the center. "That's where we meet StarClan," Ravenheart said. "We touch our noses to that ice that sticks out over there." Sealfin walked over and sniffed at the ice. "It smells like sap." she purred dreamily. Ravenheart trotted over to her. "Alright, you sit over there-" she pointed with her nose at a spot close by "-and I'll do what we came here for." Sealfin immediately obeyed, and Ravenheart touched her nose to the cold, hard ice, alone for the first time.

The starry cats appeared soon, every one looking like they had a purpose. Wavewhisker, the medicine cat before Willowmoon, looked doubtful and scared. "Is Willowmoon here?" he mewed.

"No, she's tending to Hailclaw back at camp." Ravenheart responded. Wavewhisker's tail drooped and his eyes clouded. Ravenheart turned towards the other cats. "What needs to be said should be said now. We must find a way to get back across the stream."

"That is the least of your worries, we assure you." Skystar said darkly. Ravenheart shuddered. Flowpelt, Ravenheart's long dead mother, hissed at him. "She has enough to worry about, and I suggest you stop giving her even more!" Flowpelt curled her tail around Ravenheart, making her feel safe and comfortable. The misty, indefinite color of StarClan faded into the white of the snow and ice that made up IceClan's camp. Ravenheart felt warm all over, as if tucked into Flowpelt's belly as a kit. She could tell, however, that Flowpelt had left her side, though trough the air came her disembodied whisper.

'_It cannot be stopped. But when the warm wind catches the wing, the answer lies south.'_

Ravenheart watched in horror as the ice beneath their camp melted and everything plunged into the bottomless ocean beneath. The indefinite color of StarClan came back into view. "There is another prophecy," Flowpelt told her "Listen." The scene didn't change this time, and Skystar murmured the prophecy.

'_The one who will lead can tell what is coming.'_

The short prophecy mystified Ravenheart, but she didn't pay much attention. It was nothing compared to the first ominous prophecy. Stress caused her to knead her paws anxiously. StarClan faded and the silvery Glacier came back into view. "Ravenheart?" Sealfin's voice came from a place far from where she had been sitting. "Sealfin, wher-" Ravenheart froze

"Is that supposed to be there?" Sealfin asked anxiously. Ravenheart slowly shook her head. A large dent filled with silvery water sat in the middle of the Glacier. Water dripped from the sides of the Glacier, hitting the ground steadily. Sealfin had the same worry as Ravenheart. _The Glacier is melting!_


	7. The Polar Bears

Sealfin crouched next to the silvery pool, panicking as Ravenheart shook her head. "Then why is it here?"

"It must have melted," Ravenheart said shakily "The air shouldn't be warm enough for that!"

"But the stream has been wider and faster lately. Perhaps the air is getting warmer? Why is it such a bad thing?"

"Harebrain! Our camp is built on _ice_. If it melts we'll all _drown_! Why do you think it's a bad thing?" Ravenheart hissed, neck fur bristling.

Sealfin shrank back from her friend. "I'm sorry." Sealfin whimpered. "I didn't know." Ravenheart relaxed.

"I'm sorry for snapping."

Sealfin leapt to her paws. "We have to warn the polar bears!"

Ravenheart lashed her tail. "You harebrain, what about the Clan?"

Sealfin looked a little guilty. "Oh yeah. Sorry. But what about crossing the stream? The bridge broke as we crossed!"

Ravenheart paced around the out-of-place silvery pool anxiously. "I don't know. Oh StarClan, what hope does our Clan have now?" she murmured to herself.

"Oh! I have an idea!" Sealfin yowled sharply.

Ravenheart pricked her ears and stopped pacing.

"We could ask the polar bears to swim us across! They live on this side of the stream. They'd do it for us… but first we'd tell them about the melting."

Ravenheart perked up, though her voice was serious as she said "If they are to leave in time, we should warn them soon. Let's go!" Ravenheart and Sealfin scrambled down the passage way, almost tumbling over multiple times in their haste. When they left the cave, Ravenheart could see nothing at all on this side of the stream. Sealfin, however, immediately trotted off to the left, beckoning to Ravenheart with her tail. Ravenheart began to see moving white lumps that must've been the polar bears. One of them raised its head and greeted Sealfin with a friendly grunt. She acknowledged it with a brief nod. Sealfin stopped in front of a bear that looked exactly the same as the rest of them.

"This is Wisp. She is like the medicine cat for polar bears."

Ravenheart nodded. "Okay, Wisp. I was just at the Glacier- You know the Glacier, right? And when I was finished sharing tongues with StarClan, Sealfin noticed a pool that had melted out of the Glacier. It _really_ shouldn't have been there-" she mewed frantically, then stopped when she noticed Wisp's look of confusion and Sealfin's amusement.

"Harebrain, she only speaks polar bear language!" Sealfin purred.

"Well I don't speak that language! Do you?" Ravenheart meowed in annoyance. Sealfin purred.

"You pick up languages very easily when you hear them as a kit. Of course I speak it, what do you think

I do every time I come here?"

"Okay then, tell Wisp about the melting already!" Ravenheart mewed impatiently. Sealfin let out a series of low grunts and noises that sounded like total gibberish to Ravenheart. Wisp nodded and turned away. Sealfin looked at Ravenheart. " Flow will swim us across the creek. Wisp is getting her right now. Wisp will make sure that Bellow gets our message. Bellow's hunting right now, so that's why we had to talk to Wisp." Sealfin said.

"Bellow?"

"He's like the leader." A hulking white shape approached the two cats. Ravenheart cringed away, while Sealfin nodded towards the bear and grunted a greeting in the polar bear tongue. She leapt on to the bear's back and beckoned with her tail for Ravenheart to join her. Trusting her friend, Ravenheart didn't hesitate to jump onto the bear, presumably Flow. Flow easily swam across the stream, regardless of it's unusually large width. At the other side they hopped off and Sealfin grunted a thanks to Flow, who nodded and returned to the polar bear camp.

After an hour of traveling towards the camp, Sealfin saw a friend.

"Blizzardpaw! What are you doing out of IceClan territory?" She mewed, surprised. Then she saw the fringe of red snow around him, gradually getting bigger…

Sealfin sprinted towards the apprentice. She stopped right in front of him and locked eyes with him. Both sets of amber eyes were filled with worry. "Blizzardpaw, what happened?" he looked down.

"Don't worry about me," he said. "Worry about Frostpelt." The source of the blood was Frostpelt, lying motionless in the snow with blood pouring out of many deep wounds.

"But what hap-" Ravenheart started, but stopped as the answer became clear. The air was tinged with the unmistakable stench of coyotes.


	8. Disaster

"But Blizzardpaw, what happened to the Clan? Are they okay?" Ravenheart mewed fretfully. Sealfin was completely oblivious to the other two cats as she nudged Frostpelt, her father. He lay motionless in the deep snow. Blizzardpaw met her anxious blue eyes steadily. "Not exactly," he mewed. "Lynxfoot-" he stopped, glancing anxiously at Sealfin, who had looked up at the mention of her old mentor. "She's still alive, but the coyotes bit her tail off." Sealfin's eyes filled with pain and sympathy for her former mentor. Ravenheart gently laid her tail on Sealfin's back.

"And Willowmoon," Blizzardpaw mewed, and Ravenheart's fur bristled in frightened anticipation. "She made the Clan hopeful, and soothed their pain- they didn't want that, so… they killed her. I'm really sorry, Raven-"

"I'll kill them!" Ravenheart hissed, the fear in her eyes replaced by rage cold enough to reverse the Melting. "I'll rip their ugly heads from their bodies!" She turned and sprinted towards the camp. Sealfin was after her in an instant, bowling Ravenheart over into the snow.

"_Don't,_ Ravenheart! We need to get Frostpelt to Wisp! Besides, there's no telling what they'd do to _you_ if they saw you!"

Ravenheart hung her head and followed Sealfin once she was released from her grip.

Sealfin lugged a barely breathing Frostpelt into the middle of the polar bear camp. In the bear tongue she rapidly begged for Wisp's services. Wisp slowly replied, and Sealfin's face fell.

"No." she whispered. She turned to the other two. "Frostpelt's dead. We were too late." Ravenheart and Blizzardpaw bowed their heads. Sealfin's head jerked up. "What…Ripplestar!"

Ravenheart and Blizzardpaw whipped around. Ripplestar was bounding towards them, but behind her raced two enraged coyotes.


	9. Deputy

Blizzardpaw was the first to run after the coyotes, face twisted in rage for his dead mentor. Not so long afterwards, Ravenheart's face shadowed with the same thirst for revenge.

Sealfin, however, was fueled by the desire to prove herself to her leader. Ravenheart, Ripplestar and Blizzardpaw fought the coyotes together.

Foolishly, instead of joining them, she slashed a coyote from behind, who turned to face her.

Sealfin shuddered, finding herself fighting a coyote alone. She darted under his paws, trying to unbalance him with the same technique she had used to win against Brindletooth, but the coyotes were wise to her tricks, so it danced away from her flashing claws. A giant dusky brown paw landed on her tail, and the coyote moved in for the kill. The feel of the coyote's jaws never came, and the weight of its paws lifted. Sealfin turned quickly; ready to move back into battle, but there was no need. Both the coyote and Ripplestar lay motionless on the ground. Blizzardpaw and Ravenheart, having finished off the other coyote, dashed to Ripplestar in worry. Ripplestar took a breath and climbed shakily to her paws, and Blizzardpaw and Sealfin sighed in relief, but Ravenheart was still worried. Sealfin brushed pelts with her friend.

"What's wrong?" she whispered. Ravenheart shook her head.

"This is her last life, and the Clan is not in any condition to lose their leader now." Ravenheart replied anxiously.

"It's my fault," Sealfin said in dismay. "That was a stupid move."

Ravenheart could find no words to comfort Sealfin.

The four cats stopped at a barren stretch of snow. Ripplestar glanced up at the sky, where the North Star was climbing. She clambered up a chunk of ice jutting above the powdery new snow.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Icepile for a Clan meeting!" she yowled.

Sealfin closed her eyes, trying to pretend that she was back at the camp, with the Clan and everybody she loved.

"Blizzardpaw, come up here."

Blizzardpaw obeyed, tail held high and proud.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the warrior code and fought valiantly today. Blizzardpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?"

Blizzardpaw's grief was replaced with pride for a moment as he mewed loudly.

"I do!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Blizzardpaw, from this day forth, you will be known as Blizzardcloud."

Blizzardcloud's face hardened as he heard how few voices could chant his name.

Ripplestar continued to speak.

"According to the warrior code, the new deputy must be appointed before the North Star's high point. I say these words before StarClan, so that they may approve my choice."

Sealfin held her breath in anticipation.

"Sealfin will be the new deputy of IceClan." Sealfin lashed her tail.

"I have no experience! I can't be the deputy!"

"You are the oldest warrior here." Ripplestar said. Sealfin looked around. There was a medicine cat and a second old warrior. She dipped her head.

"I'll do my best." She said, pushing away the doubts that circled her head like blowing snowflakes.


	10. Battle Plan

Sealfin yawned and stretched. The other three cats were still huddled together in the snow, asleep.Ripplestar's breaths were ragged and quick. Old age was setting in, now that she had only one life. Sealfin felt a pang of guilt.

Blizzardcloud was twitching and hissing in his sleep. Sealfin could sense his fear and desperation.

_He's dreaming about Frostpelt,_ she thought sadly to herself.

Ravenheart lay absolutely still, but for her slow, even breaths.

_Could she be speaking to Willowmoon?_ All of these cats had suffered losses that were haunting them even while they slept. She took a deep breath and prodded Blizzardcloud gently with her tail. His ears pricked forward and his pale green eyes fluttered open in an instant.

"The coyotes aren't attacking, are they?" Blizzardcloud mewed nervously. Sealfin shook her head and laid her tail on Blizzardcloud's flank briefly.

"We're going back to IceClan camp. We're driving out the coyotes."

Blizzardcloud and Sealfin sat and watched as Ravenheart's whiskers began to twitch. Blizzardcloud got up and prodded Ravenheart with his paw. Her eyes slid halfway open and she gave a great yawn. Ripplestar was waking up herself, clambering to her paws clumsily.

"Ripplestar," Sealfin said hesitantly "We were planning on going back to camp. IceClan camp. We wanted to free our Clan. I thought that you should stay here with the polar bears, so that, you know, we wouldn't risk losing our leader."

Ripplestar and Sealfin were both silent for a moment.

"I'm not an elder yet, Sealfin." she said. Sealfin lashed her tail. "Let's get going, then!" Ripplestar mewed. Sealfin ran in front of her and turned to face the group.

"Stop!" Sealfin yowled. The group stared. "Are we just going to trot in without a plan and expect to not get killed? I know _I_ won't! That's harebrained!"

"Do _you _have a plan?" Blizzardcloud asked.

"Yes, actually, I do." she turned and took a deep sniff. "Ravenheart, our Clanmates are on the side of our territory bordered by the ice cliffs. Sneak around that way and tell them to start battling. Set up a base there so warriors can be healed. Blizzardcloud, you go with her and eliminate the guard."

Blizzardcloud and Ravenheart nodded, and Sealfin turned to speak to Ripplestar.

"I expect the coyotes will have taken our dens, which, as you know, are on a large hill. They are likely to use that to watch the borders. Blizzardcloud and Ravenheart, be very careful so that you're not spotted. You have a very conspicuous pelt. The ice cliffs may be crumbling, so be careful. Ripplestar, we'll just have to move very slowly, half-buried in snow. We'll be going there simply to fight, so once we get to the camp there is no use being sneaky. You clear?" Everyone mewed agreement and unsheathed their claws. Sealfin padded over to Ravenheart.

"Good luck and-" she stopped abruptly.

"Goodbye for now." Ravenheart finished. They joined their partners and moved out to battle.


	11. The Approach

Ravenheart shivered as she saw the jagged path to the ice cliffs. The good thing was that the protruding chunks of ice would conceal her from the coyotes that would be watching from the camp. The bad thing was that this path was already dangerous without the added factor of melting ice. She stepped forward anyway. Blizzardcloud followed close by.

"We'll get to the Clan or die trying." he said "For Frostpelt."

"And Willowmoon," Ravenheart added "And the whole Clan."

Sealfin had never been so _scared_. She had been made a warrior just a couple _days_ ago, and here she was, a deputy, leading her leader to certain doom. Sealfin was still so small none of the coyotes would think anything of her.

Not that she thought anything of herself. She cost her leader a _life_, for StarClan's sake. Ripplestar would probably _die_ in this battle because of her.

"_Sealfin!_" Ripplestar's whisper sliced through the air. "Watch out, you were about to march over the border. We're being _stealthy_, remember?" Sealfin saw a dark silhouette on the top of the hill and sank into the snow.

"Sorry." she whispered, and dragged herself forward, still flat in the snow. She could feel the snow shifting nearby where Ripplestar followed. The coyote on the hill was much easier to see now. He looked as if he was sniffing the air. Sealfin froze.

"There's no point in sneaking anymore. They're about to find us anyway. We'll attack- NOW!"

Blizzardcloud walked ahead of Ravenheart, testing the ice every pawstep.

_Nothing can happen to Ravenheart. If she falls, we're all doomed._ Blizzardcloud thought. There was a crack. Blizzardcloud twisted around. A crack was forming from where Ravenheart had put her paw.

"Ravenheart, be careful! Get away from the crack!"

"It's small, lighten up. Nothing will happen." She stepped forward and her hind paw slipped on the wet ice. She skidded over an edge of the cliff. Blizzardcloud gasped, but before he could launch himself forward he heard her voice.

"It's okay, Blizzardcloud. I fell in a cave. No, wait- this is a tunnel! I think it leads through the border! Come here, it's a _much_ safer way there."

Blizzardcloud obeyed, launching himself off the edge. He felt his hind paw brush ice, but he kept falling. Ravenheart's shocked yowl rang in his ears. He'd missed the cave! Blizzardcloud landed on the snow with a _thud, _and everything went black.

**Will Blizzardcloud live? Actually, since Blizzardcloud represents my little brother, if my little brother makes me mad between now and when I update again, Blizzardcloud DIES! (I may kill him anyway, though.)**


	12. So Close, Yet So Far

Everything hurt. The snow, though soft, had done nothing to cushion Blizzardcloud's fall. He couldn't move a muscle, and he was barely breathing. However shallow his breaths were, and however damaged his nose was, he could smell the coyotes as if they were right next to him. He vaguely realized that he was still alive, and the coyotes hadn't found him yet. The pale pelts that were the signature trait of most IceClan cats were doing their job: Blizzardcloud looked like part of the snow. He knew he'd be caught. He knew he wouldn't stand a chance when they found him, he was so damaged. He could hear them coming now, he was done for, the whole Clan was going to die…

* * *

Ravenheart scraped at the ice around her in distress. Nothing could conceal her obvious black pelt. Her measly battle training wouldn't help her at all against these menaces. The only hope was Blizzardcloud somehow being magically unharmed from that terrible fall. She shivered at the thought that she too could have careened off the edge. _Be brave. Save the Clan. _She paused. This was a new thought. _StarClan is with you, Ravenheart._  
"But what can StarClan do to save me from being _killed_ like Blizzardcloud was?" she muttered to herself._  
Blizzardcloud isn't dead, Ravenheart._  
"Okay, that is _not_ me speaking." she shut her eyes. "Willowmoon?" she whispered. Beneath her eyelids, StarClan came into view._  
No, _came the voice again._ It's me._ Under the layer of stars covering the cat's fur, the pattern was easily discernible. Ravenheart snapped out of the vision. "No." she whispered. her voice rose to a shrill, scared mew. "No!"

* * *

Blizzardcloud lay helplessly in the thick snow, the sound of shifting snow ringing in his ears. Underneath the awful stench of the coyotes was a warm, familiar scent. Was StarClan calling him? He heard a gasp and felt something prod his fur gently.  
"Blizzardpaw?" came the soft voice of a cat, one of his Clan! He wrenched his eyes open and found himself staring into a concerned pair of dark blue eyes. _Ternpaw!_  
"Blizzardpaw, are you alright? Where did you come from? Where's Frostpelt?" Ternpaw whispered, as though afraid of being heard. Blizzardcloud turned his head slightly upwards.  
"Ravenheart-" he moaned. Ternpaw's dark blue eyes widened.  
"Is she here too? That's great! Are Frostpelt, Ripplestar, and Sealfin here as well? We'll need them to overthrow the coyotes."  
"Ternpaw, Frostpelt is dead." his mew was becoming clearer, and he could feel awareness return vividly to his head. Ternpaw looked shocked. "And Sealfin and Ripplestar could be going the same way. The plan is messed up, I wasn't supposed to fall."  
"You fell from _there_?" Ternpaw said, flicking her tail towards the Ice-cliffs. "And Ravenheart is up there?"  
Blizzardcloud nodded.  
"I was supposed to clear the way so she could get to the Clan safely and be ready to heal." he began to climb shakily to his paws.  
"_No!"_ Ternpaw hissed "If you get up, the coyotes will _see you_. They think I'm making dirt right now." she paused for a moment, letting Blizzardcloud fall to the ground. "Okay, I want you to _very inconspicuously_ drag yourself to one of the out-of-sight areas of the Ice-cliffs. _I'll_ find Ravenheart, and _I'll_ rally up the Clan. Trust me, we're ready."  
"No, Ternpaw, you can't. You're much less experienced than me, and-"  
"Ex_cuse_ me? We were in the exact same litter! That means born on the _same_ _day_, starting apprenticeship at the _same time_.That plus you're seriously injured and _I'm not._" Blizzardcloud smiled weakly.  
"Fine. You win." he began to inch slowly towards the Ice-cliffs. "But just know this: it's Blizzard_cloud _now."

* * *

Sealfin barreled into a hulking mass of gray-brown fur. The paw prints of two fleeing coyotes were stamped into the snow behind her. _This plan might just work!_ She thought happily. _Of course, the other half depends on Ravenheart and Blizzardcloud. Where are they…?_ At that moment, Sealfin was slammed from behind by an attacking coyote. She felt consciousness slip away from her as fast as the Melting was making the stream flow.A long stretch of murky, indefinite nothing. Was it nothing? There was a sort of odd color to it, not definable, but certainly there. Sealfin realized with a start that this was how Ravenheart always described StarClan. Her tail drooped in defeat.  
"Don't give up, Sealfin." Sealfin raised her head to look at the starry cats materializing around her.  
"You're not dead yet."  
She located the speaker quickly, for the jumble of dead cats parted to let Sealfin see.  
"Oh, no…" she breathed. Had she really been paying that little attention to the battle around her? Underneath the layer of stars, she could see the pattern that gave the speaker her name: Pale gray stripes upon pure white fur.

"Ripplestar!"

**There, I updated. You happy?**


	13. Leader?

**In response to a PM from Mo0ny (get an e-mail so I can PM you back instead of using author's notes)- No he didn't tick me off, but it would be rather impossible for Blizzardcloud to be unharmed from that awful fall, don't you think? I could have done much worse, trust me grins evilly**

An awful, dark wave of devastation crashed over Sealfin's heart. Her first thoughts were grief, which quickly faded into disbelief. After a while, a tide of realization swept her mind.

"Then I'm- I'm... no, I can't! _Leader?_" Sealfin was terrified. _No... I'm just a half-grown apprentice. I'm a foolish, naive kit._

"Doubt will never do you any good." echoed Ripplestar's wise, powerful voice. "You have no choice. Destiny was laid out for you moons ago." Fury rose in Sealfin's throat. "Destiny was laid out, was it? Am I just a little puppet for you to play with? It doesn't _really_ matter who it is, does it? I mean, there's nothing special about _me, _I'm just the hapless kit that you decided to screw around with!"

"Sealfin, you have been chosen to save the Clan."

"It doesn't make me feel any better, knowing I can't fail, all because _StarClan_ predicted it would happen! It means I'm worthless, nothing, because it won't be my guts and talent that save the Clan, it will be _StarClan_ pulling strings!" There was a thoroughly silent pause.

"Sealfin, you're right. It could have been anyone. Anyone else could have heard the prophecy and believed in themselves enough to scrape through. But... we did choose you for a reason." Ripplestar said, endlessly patient.

"Why was that?" Sealfin sneered. "My oh-so-lovely attitude?" Ripplestar purred in a patronizing manner. Sealfin felt the urge to claw her ears off.

"Actually, yes. Though, I wouldn't call it 'lovely'. That's it right there: without my encouragement, you think. Don't think we're always right. We make mistakes as much as any cat. We did not look to our mystical pool of all things to let it tell _us_ who would save the Clan. We merely saw your personality, what set you aside from the other apprentices. We analyzed, we thought. And it was but a half-moon ago that we revealed the prophecy." Sealfin was speechless.

"Ravenheart... but why didn't she tell me? Oh... the Melting scare. But I suppose that's nothing compared to the coyotes."

"On the contrary, this Melting is bigger than you can imagine. _'It cannot be stopped. But when the warm wind catches the wing, the answer lies south'_." Ripplestar said, with a prophetic ring. "If you don't do something, you and everyone you've ever met will drown." the silence was endless and contemplative.

"Alright. I'll be leader. For the Clan. For the polar bears. Maybe even the coyotes. Get me back to the battle. Now!"

* * *

Warm, sticky liquid coated Sealfin's back. Blood, she decided after a quick sniff. Everything was oddly quiet. Suddenly, she wondered where the blood came from. She sprang to her paws and looked wildly around. Red tinted paw prints were scattered everywhere. Not a living soul was in sight. Ripplestar's body, she realized with a jolt, was gone. Probably dragged off by the coyotes along with the fresh corpses of my Clanmates, she thought bitterly. _Don't think like that, don't think like that.._ She absentmindedly stepped on one of the paw prints. The print was twice the size of any cat paw she'd ever seen._  
The Clan isn't dead! They're not dead!_ She thought triumphantly. _Then... where are they?_  
She confidently took a deep sniff as she trotted up the hill. In an instant, she was being attacked.

**Heh, how's that for a cliffie?**


	14. Finding Ravenheart

A cat-sized paw catapulted her halfway down the hill. There was a flurry of white and pale gray surrounding her.

"Sealfin! Stop attacking, it's Sealfin!" rasped a familiar voice.

"Lynxfoot?"

"We thought they'd killed you! Your body was missing, and Ternpaw saw you get tackled by that coyote!" She searched through the dizzyingly white crowd of cats around her.

"Wait- Ternpaw was there? That wasn't the plan!" she looked wildly around. The Clan was safe, but- there was Blizzardcloud. He was lying in an awkward position, clearly in some sort of pain. And... the only black pelt there was Creekfur's. She got up and shoved her way through the Clan toward Blizzardcloud.

"Where-"

"I'm sorry, Sealfin, but she's dead." Sealfin's knees buckled. Blizzardcloud continued. "We found her body near the hill where you and she were battling.

"Wait... you mean _Ripplestar_ is dead, right?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." he repeated.

"Well I knew _that_! 'Where's Ravenheart', is what I was going to ask." Blizzardcloud's eyes widened.

"Oh, hare dung! We forgot to go and find her." Sealfin looked very alarmed.

"I'm sure she's fine, Sealfin. She didn't fall like I did..."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The cold was really getting to Ravenheart. She'd been lying there alone and motionless for quite a long time. How could it be this freezing during the Melting? Her mind roared with vivid images of the battle that she was sure was happening below.

_Red... chaos... white flurry... yowls... yowls..._

"Ravenheart!"

The voice was distant, a damp echo that could easily have been her imagination. But then, what did she have to lose by following it? There was a tunnel somewhere, but it was so dark down there...

"Ravenheart!"

It was closer and louder, enough so that Ravenheart could recognize who was speaking.

"Ravenheart!"

She leapt toward the source, sliding at top speed, cringing at rough edges and bumps. Her paws thrashed wildly, trying to get a hold of the wet, slippery ice. The collision with the ground was softer than expected, and she felt the familiarity of warm fur.

"Ravenheart!"

The voice was close now, with a sort of muffled sound to it.

"Ravenheart, you great lump, get off of me!"

Ravenheart realized why her landing had been so soft and jumped off excitedly.

"Sealfin, you're safe!"

"And you too! I was so worried! Now, on a different note, the battle's over. The coyotes are gone. You need to help the injured, and-" Sealfin stopped talking at Ravenheart's solemn expression.

"Ripplestar's dead." Ravenheart said quietly "I saw her in StarClan."

"I did as well." Sealfin mewed. There was something distracted about her voice, something that Ravenheart didn't like."So I guess you're leader now," Ravenheart said, watching Sealfin carefully. "Who else could possibly do it?"  
Sealfin shook her head.  
"I'm thinking of giving the job to Hailclaw instead."  
"Coward!" Ravenheart hissed., neck fur bristling. "You just want to pass up this job! Well, you can't. I won't let you. You were deputy, now you're leader. Got it?"  
"You just- I never- My _point _is that..." Sealfin trailed off, looking pensive. "Ravenheart, you're right. I know that as soon as I get my leader name, the whole Clan will suddenly die because of some way I messed up. All the same, you're right. It's the warrior code, and, well... who am I to so blatantly defy it?" Her normally sparkling amber eyes were dull.  
"Sealfin..." Ravenheart murmured.

Sealfin didn't listen. She just trudged towards the scattered Clan, lay down, wrapped her tail around her nose, and went to sleep.


	15. The Last Drops

_Drip..._  
Thin slivers of silver hung from the ceiling._  
Drip..._  
A dazzlingly bright pool lay beneath._  
Drip..._  
The substance lay all over the ground in the cave._  
Drip..._  
Mesmerizing... Beautiful..._  
Drip..._  
The dream-cat padded towards the big pool._  
Drip..._  
Dabbing in a paw, she found it to be pleasantly cool._  
Drip..._  
Small pawfuls of slush lay in the center of the pool.  
_Drip...  
_A great warmth blew across the cat's back._  
Drip..._  
The cat shivered at the warmth, as it awakened some fear within her.  
_Drip..._  
Staring at the pool, she saw herself, white with amber eyes, covered with stars._  
DRIP!_

_  
_Sealfin jerked awake.  
"Ravenheart!" she shrieked. A black she-cat leapt over the snow at the sound of Sealfin's voice.  
"Oh, you're awake!" she mewed cheerily.  
"I need to get to the Glacier."  
"Oh, but Sealfin, there's rebuilding to do... Can't it wait?"  
"No." Sealfin said firmly. "Come with me, and you'll see what I mean. But we must hurry!"  
Ravenheart, trusting Sealfin, set off without hesitation. Sealfin sailed over the snow next to her, as if she had never been injured in the battle. Ravenheart stepped over the bloody paw prints, of both cat and coyote, never pausing. A few seconds later, she came to a dead halt.  
The trickle of water that ran through the land had turned into a violent river, churning and gushing, tearing off new ice every second.  
"No! Sealfin, stop!"  
Sealfin didn't listen. Instead, she swerved toward Ravenheart, who thought she noticed a bluish tint to Sealfin's eyes.  
Ravenheart found herself jerked up into the air by the scruff. Sealfin soared above the river in a single leap, hauling the considerably larger Ravenheart with her. Sealfin's eyes darkened to amber again, and she stared at the river in disbelief.  
"How did we cross it?" she said, with a face like an awestruck kit.  
"Never mind that, we're on this side now. Weren't we supposed to be getting to the Glacier?"  
Sealfin shook herself and sprinted away again. Ravenheart kept pace until they drew towards the entrance. Her stomach lurched as she saw the mouth of the cave, no longer appearing to emanate the energy it had before. Sealfin padded toward the mouth of the cave anxiously.  
"Well? Are you coming with me or not?"  
Ravenheart gulped and trotted next to her, thoroughly dreading what she would find. She shuddered as she felt warmth seep into her pelt.  
Within the cave, she saw the familiar silvery substance of the Glacier, spread all over the floor, glowing dully. She could tell just by looking at it that StarClan was no longer there.

**Well, I hoped you like it. I'll try to update at least one of my stories every weekend now.**


End file.
